In Soviet Russia, Red Army ammo reviews you

Recent hostilities in Crimea had many gun owners worried that reserves of cheap Russian ammunition may dry up. Russian ammo manufacturers have repeatedly denied these claims, but the Internet rumor mill continues to fuel the flames of conjecture and hyperbole. Don’t worry, your AK’s favorite snack — excluding capitalist tears and partisan sweat — will not be eliminated. Thank your stars for Red Army Standard ammunition.

Imported by Century International Arms, Red Army Standard ammo is manufactured in the Ukraine and Romania and comes in 9x18mm, 5.45x39mm and classic 7.62x39mm varieties. I got my hands on two cases (2,000 rounds) of 7.62x39mm to test and evaluate. After 1,500 rounds with no malfunctions, I’m impressed.

I assessed the ammo with four different rifles that run the gamut of AKs. I shot each rifle 10 times from a bench at 45 yards (range construction limited me to this distance). Also, I tested the rifles using iron sights because optical sights were only available on two rifles.

SAR 1 plays well with Ukrainian ammo. (Photo by Jim Grant)

Rifle 1: Romanian SAR-1

The first test rifle, an SAR-1, represents the lower end of the price spectrum for AK rifles.

The SAR-1 performed very well considering that its sights were manually straightened with a pipe and a really strong guy. It typically groups around 6 inches at 100 yards, so this grouping is definitely an improvement.

Rifle 2: Serbian PAP-DF

The lead-slinging Serb grouped well with RAS ammo (Photo by Jim Grant)

The second rifle, a Serbian under-folding PAP, featured a more robust construction and new non-chrome-lined barrel, which aids in accuracy. I lightly oiled the rifle before test firing, but otherwise, it was factory new.

The PAP-DF is more accurate than the SAR-1 and this group typifies that.

Compared to Wolf WPA and Tula ammunition, Red Army Standard performs nearly identically in the PAP.

Rifle 3: Centurian C39

This all American AK held its own with RAS (Photo by Jim Grant)

The third rifle tested is Century’s new American-made, milled-receiver AK rifle, the C39. Its rigid milled receiver and hammer-forged American-made barrel make it more accurate than most stamped AK rifles.

The C39’s group seemed to open up as the barrel warmed. Though the accuracy is still excellent for an AK rifle.

Tula Ammunition’s point of impact was different by about 2 inches, shooters changing from Tula to Red Army, should confirm their zeroes and adjust accordingly.

Rifle 4: Bulgarian SAM7SF

You get what you pay for, the SAM7SF shoots excellent groups (Photo by Jim Grant)

The final test gun is one of my favorites, the Arsenal SAM7SF, a milled Bulgarian AK rifle with a folding stock and selector switch that is reciprocated in the pistol grip. The SAM7SF is the most expensive rifle tested and represents Arsenal’s premiere Avtomat Kalashnikov rifle.

The SAM7SF’s groups were excellent and slightly better than the C39, though they are very close. I suspect the improved trigger of milled rifles and the rigid receiver contributed to this. This limited test confirms that milled rifles are more accurate than stamped ones. Though a more thorough evaluation of dozens or hundreds or rifles would be necessary to built a scientifically sound theory.

Findings

While the garish packaging exudes a lighthearted mocking of Soviet propaganda, Red Army Standard ammunition is a serious contender to Wolf Ammo in the realm of Russian calibers. I wouldn’t feel nervous with a bug out bag full of Red Army ammo ready to feed my AKs.

Ammo so good its primers are green with envy of the bullets. (Photo by Jim Grant)

Lacquered ammo works fine in AR-15s. The lacquer will not melt off. Many people have shown that the issue with running steel cases ammo in AR-15s is caused by it failure to expand as well as brass cases. This allows powder residue to build up in the chamber. If you fire a brass cased round without cleaning the chamber afterwards, the residue will cause the case to stick and cause extraction issues.
You can take a spent lacquer coated round and run a blow torch on it without melting the coating. I have personally fired over 3000 lacquer coated rounds through my 7.62x39 AR-15 and have never had an issue. Actually I have found they perform better, as they lacquer coating prevents the locking lugs in the chamber from scraping the cases. When firing polymer coated rounds through the same rifle I would find huge gouges on the spent cases and find bits of metal in the bolt carrier group.
You can shoot lacquer coated rounds in any firearm safely, but if you plan on firing brass rounds after shooting any steel round invest in a chamber brush.